She made a rare public appearance last week at the wedding of her long-time publicist. And Cheryl, 40, looked stunning as she joined the celebrations alongside her former Girls Aloud bandmates and a string of celebs including Denise Van Outen, Alesha Dixon, Ashley Roberts, Perrie Edwards, Myleene Klass and Tess Daly.
Pals say the star – who shares five-year-old son, Bear, with her ex, 1D star Liam Payne, 30 – has been tempted into signing up for Strictly after a heart-to-heart with the show’s host, Tess, 54. The pair struck up a friendship on the celebrity circuit back in the early noughties – with Cheryl appearing on Children In Need, which Tess hosted multiple times, as well as cheering on her best pal and former bandmate Kimberley Walsh, 41, at several performances when she starred on the iconic BBC dance show in 2012.
A source tells Closer, “Tess has known Cheryl for many years and they’d always got on like a house on fire. They’ve grown even closer since Tess formed a friendship with Kimberley – enjoying meals at Kimberley’s house and girls’ nights out.
“When they caught up last week, Cheryl asked Tess how rehearsals were going for the new series. One thing led to another, with Tess saying how much she’d love Cheryl to join next year’s line-up and how perfect it would be for her with her dancing background.
“She knows Cheryl has had a tough few years as she’s taken time out of the spotlight to reassess her life. But she feels Cheryl could make a huge comeback on the show.
“Cheryl’s at a crossroads in her career and told Tess she was definitely open to it.”
The Geordie singer’s once glittering career as part of the world’s biggest girlband, having four hit solo albums and becoming the nation’s sweetheart as a judge on The X Factor, has gone noticeably quiet in recent years. Despite her short-lived return to the spotlight with her West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story, earlier this year, the singer appeared to have retreated back into her reclusive ways.
And pals say Tess not only thinks a stint on Strictly would boost Cheryl’s confidence career-wise, she’s hopeful that it could also help the unlucky-in-love star – who’s been through two divorces – find a new man too. The singer has been single since her high-profile split from Liam in 2018. Since Strictly began in 2008, a plethora of celebrities have found love, including Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen and Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Márquez.
And it’s not lost on Tess that Cheryl has a soft spot for dancers, having previously dated US choreographer Tre Holloway, and Derek Hough, a professional on Dancing With The Stars (America’s version of Strictly) who coincidentally lived with Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas in his teens, when he studied dance in the UK.
The source says, “Tess knows Cheryl would love to find The One and settle down properly again, so of course she joked that coming onto the show could lead to something romantic happening.
“Cheryl’s never given up hope of finding someone special and even though she’s dabbled on dating apps, she’s admitted that she would love to meet someone organically – and Strictly would be the perfect opportunity to
do that. Tess pointed out that Giovanni [Pernice] is single, which made them both giggle. There are other hunks on
the show too, Vito [Coppola] appears to be single, so there would be lots of opportunities. Tess really hopes she’ll give it a go – and potentially meet the love of her life.”
